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Waiting for a perfect diagnosis can cost your child months or years of support at school, and Dr. Sarah Cohen Solomon wants families to know they don’t have to wait. I sit down with Dr. Cohen Solomon, a board-certified pediatrician who specializes in hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and related conditions like POTS, MCAS, and dysautonomia. She also speaks as someone who has lived through chronic pain, misdiagnoses, and medical gaslighting, which gives her a rare, practical lens on what “whole-person care” looks like for kids who are often dismissed.
We dig into one of the biggest real-world challenges parents face: helping hypermobile students and other kids with chronic symptoms function in school. That includes learners navigating autism, ADHD, endometriosis, fatigue, pain, and sensory overload. Dr. Cohen Solomon explains how the accommodations process can be more than paperwork. Done well, it teaches self-advocacy, helps kids learn when to speak up, and reinforces a powerful message: you’re allowed to take up space and have your needs met. We also talk honestly about the downside, like scarce resources and the frustrating reality that families sometimes have to fight for basic supports.
Then we get concrete about school accommodations and disability rights, including the difference between a 504 plan and an IEP, plus the kinds of symptoms a 504 plan can address. Think far beyond extended test time: mobility challenges between classes, classroom temperature triggers, allergies, and other chronic symptom disruptions can all matter. The most important point: you can request a 504 evaluation based on symptoms, even without a formal diagnosis, and you can start the process with a clear letter to the school.
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